Falling in love with someone is one of the most thrilling things that can happen to a person, but only when those feelings are appreciated.

Unrequited love can become a dangerous illness that will lower your self-esteem and make you feel like you don’t deserve happiness at all.

Fortunately, there is a cure for this illness and as hard as it may sound, unloving the person that’s making you suffer so much is the only way to become truly free again.

After all, everyone just wants to be happy, that includes you and your partner. If you’re feeling that your relationships are inevitably coming to an end and bringing you nothing but pain, or if you’ve fallen for the person that doesn’t care about you at all, here are 8 sure ways to get on with your life.

Whether it’s actual experience you share together or simply your wishful thinking getting the best of you, just acknowledge the fact that he’s not the one. It becomes much easier after that! Stop deceiving yourself and look at your relationships from a different angle. Are they healthy? Are you both happy? If most of the time you feel depressed and unloved, it’s a clear sign that you should not cling to this person, no matter how much you love him.

2. Think about yourself first

Love yourself– and the rest will follow! It’s not about being egoistical, it’s about being healthy, happy, and caring. You can’t be any of that if you constantly suppress yourself or give all your love to someone who doesn’t need it. How about using all that love on yourself? Make yourself the number one priority and treat yourself the best way possible. Don’t wait for other people to come and care for you, just do the things that make you really happy. Pamper yourself, eat yummy food, go to the movies. Just live your life!

3. Spend time with friends

Stop thinking about boys for one second and just go have fun with your girlfriends. They understand everything you’re going through and can give you the much needed support to overcome the breakup. Go out, watch movies, plan a trip together, and simply enjoy being single for once. You’ll feel much better in a short while!

It’s the funny thing about emotions – as we focus on bad stuff, it will only become worse and worse no matter what we do. But if we at least try to focus on something pleasant, the stress will eventually fade out and you’ll feel slightly better at first, and absolutely free and happy later as you continue doing things that bring you pleasure. So how about starting a new hobby? Trying new things is a great way to distract yourself from anything bad going on in your life. Try playing a musical instrument or go for African dancing – the possibilities are limitless!

5. Change your look

Our appearance reflects the way we feel about ourselves. It’s time to shed your old clothes and get a brand new look that will inspire you to move on with your life. Go get a haircut, invest in a couple of new dresses, and buy that awesome mascara you’ve been dreaming to buy for ages. The better you feel, the better you look! And vice versa, you can start with making yourself look better, and you will eventually feel good too.

6. Plan a trip somewhere nice

The thing with breakups and unrequited love – the further you are from the man, the better you feel! It’s hard to forget about someone when you’re stuck in one working space, street, square, and even city! It’s much easier to calm down and overcome difficult emotions when you aren’t in direct contact with the person causing all the distress. So pack your bags and go on a vacation somewhere nice and warm. Try Cambodia with its gorgeous temples, the exotic shores of Thailand, or a picturesque trip to Spain.

One of the best ways to forget all about your worries and shed some extra pounds while you’re at it is hitting the gym. If you’re feeling down about the love of your life not being what you expected it to be, try going to a swimming pool, jogging every day, or taking some yoga classes. Dancing is yet another way to have fun while you exercise. There will be no time for you to dwell on your breakup and soon you’ll forget all about it!

8. Give yourself time

As painful as it may be, you just have to live through the process of letting go of your feelings. We won’t lie, it takes time, especially if you’ve been in a long-term relationship. Our brains (and hearts!) are stubborn things and once they get attached to someone it’s almost impossible to break free. Nevertheless, this is the very thing you need to do and the sooner you start, the better. Think of it as a kind of illness you need to recover from. It takes patience, a bunch of remedies, and an incredible amount of will to get through a breakup. But we are sure you can do it!